Ready, set
by shadows-of-flame
Summary: The track is indeed a tough one, but what happens when a love is ruined by it? It only takes a mad demon to change lives. 'It'll be our little secret, princess.' JakAshelin, TornKeira, TessDaxter. Answer to Red Hawk K'sani's fic challenge.
1. It begins

Ready, set...  
By shadows/of/flame  
Chapter one 

Answer for Red Hawk K'sanis Dark Jak challenge. Any of the requirements not in this chapter... will be in the next one.  
Its all explained next chapter how big Dark Jaks role is. Set sorta Jak Xish, with Jak X spoilers.

Thanks very muchly to **jaygoose** for beta-ing this fic, I much appreciate it :D

* * *

Puffs of smoke filled the dingy bar, and a man in red grasped the rusted doorhandle, flinging the door open quietly and shutting it as he entered. 

A furry orange rodent was sprawled on the bar, spinning wild tales about his friend, who was a racer in the 'great' Kras City.

The orange creature drew a snort from the man who had just come in as he pulled his gloves off, sitting, watching the group who were now crowded around Daxter.

"Ah, the Kras City welcoming crew. Have a drink, friend."

Torn's eyes narrowed as he saw the red, narrow necked bottle that the orange haired man was holding out, as a skull was prominent on it.  
He turned his ears to listen again as the high-pitched voiced man started talking.

"You know, people in this town have a way of getting in over their heads. Like at the bottom of the ocean."

Daxter gulped nervously, and dropped his cup of scalding liquid as the men drew rather sharp knives.  
Torn stepped forward to intervene as necessary, but it wasn't needed.

The group of men parted quickly as a huge buggy almost squashed them underneath its monstrous tires, and sure enough, Haven City and Spargus' champion Jak was at the wheel.  
The men made forward again with their knives, intent on killing the driver and his pet.

"Get in Dax!" he yelled, waiting for the rodent to make sure he was safely clinging on to the exterior as more knives were thrown their way by the crowd, before zooming off out through the huge hole he had just made, leaving a huge path of destruction in his wake.

It seemed that the tales Daxter had been spinning about the blond hero had been true, after all.

"Stupid Haven racers. They think that they can take on anything... We'll get rid of them later, no doubt."

The ex Krimzon Guard commander snorted.  
"What about stupid Kras racers? Shall we all have a debate about whos stupider?"

Without a moments notice, the man in the red coat spun around, and saw a pair of pale blue eyes glaring back at him.

"Who're you to say anything?" he sneered, drawing smirks from his fellow Kras racers.

"My name? Torn. Ex Krimzon Guard commander, leader of Haven Cities Freedom Guard."

Murmurs ran through the crowd as his eyes narrowed again.

"Torn... 'ey? The commander from the Big Smoke. We've heard a lot about your... valiant triumphs."

Another snigger.

"I'm glad you have. Because you're only going to be hearing more and more about me, aren't you?"

A snort.

"Are you a friend of that stupid blondie and his rat friend?"

Torn hesitated slightly, wondering if he should say yes. After all, him and Jak weren't exactly 'friends' - more like 'allies-who-have-to-work-together-and-don't-have-a-choice'.

"Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?"

The man chuckled. "Haha, brunettes ARE a crack up. Boys, get him."

Torn grabbed his pistols, but was immediately grabbed from behind from the big ugly guy who was missing half of his ears.  
"Hey, big shot, you got a wifey back home to worry about'cha?" the red head sneered, and the brunette commander froze for the first time that night.

Keira.  
What would she say if the Kras City Guard turned up on her doorstep and said that he'd been killed in a barfight?

It took a while for Torn to get all the people off his back, but when they were busily concerned with something else, he made a mad dash for the door, and straight towards his car.

The streets of Kras were empty and dingy, but he knew that with the trouble he had stirred up, they wouldn't be for long, and he quickly jumped into his sleek red buggy.

It had begun.

0o0o0

A large smirk graced Torns usually gruff face as the last buggy burst into a flaming fireball, and he suddenly felt very, very tired.  
That was not the first time that any of the Haven heroes had received death threats, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Half asleep, he drove to where the Havenites were staying, opening the garage and parking, walking zombie-like into the house, and quickly falling asleep, troubled thoughts swirling around in his brain.

Something terribly bad was going to happen, he knew it.

0o0o0

"Oh, Haven City folk. I guess you're Krews, er, associates here for the presenting of his will." a man in an obnoxious pink suit drawled, making Daxter go slightly more deaf with every word.

"Oh, no, we're just here for the lovely scenery." Daxter complained dryly.  
What he said made Jak wonder if it was just him, Daxter, Samos, Ashelin, and Tess, or if anyone else was going to turn up.  
Oh, Light Jak and Dark Jak too, but Jak didn't think that his alter egoes counted.

"Are there anymore of you? We can begin soon, I hope." the man drawled on, and Daxter wished he had a fork to... disable his ears with somehow.  
Samos fiddled nervously with his racing goggles, wondering where Keira was.  
Would she be late?

0o0o0

"Oh, for the love of... My buggy! Oooh, and I haven't even left the garage! I am definitely going to miss the will reading!"

A green haired mechanic-racer slammed her spanner down on her work bench, getting fed up with her buggy.  
Her temper didn't improve much as the spanner nicked her hand, and a small cut made her almost scream out in pain and frustration.

At this rate, they would definitely read the will without her.

She fumed, and tried to figure out for the millionth time what was wrong with her car, if she could fix it or not, and how she was going to get from there to the stadium where the reading was being held.

Keira didn't notice a red buggy pull up by the open garage door, nor the figure that was leaning against it after he had gotten out.  
"Hey, you goin' anywhere girly?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she almost started to fume again as she spun around, ready to whack whoever was hitting on her over the head with her ever-so-trusty spanner, only for her eyes to fall on her husband.

"Oh Mar! Torn!"  
As soon as she got in hug range, he gave her a huge hug, resting his chin on her head.  
"Got a problem?" he muttered amusedly.  
"Yes. My stupid buggy is refusing to co-operate - rather like you in a way - and I can't get to the damned race garage."  
"Then hitch a ride with me. What are husbands for anyway?" he smirked, and she hit him playfully.

"They're good for nothing! Now lets go before we're late!"  
He frowned as he hopped into the buggy, even though she was joking.  
He'd heard that joke a few too many times.

0o0o0

"Well, I think thats all of us-" Ashelin began, but a buggy pulled up.  
A slam of a door, and a rather bouncy mechanic opened the passenger door of the buggy and almost jumped out.

"Keira?" Daxter exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock that /she/ would actually race.

"That your ride?" Jak asked.  
Keira giggled. "Of course not. I just got out of the passenger door."

"Then whose is it?" Samos pondered out loud.

Torns weatherbeaten face peered out from the other side of the car, him and his face eventually joining the group.

"Surprise."

"Torn!" they all exclaimed.

"Can we PLEASE begin presenting the will now?" The man in pink with the high pitched voice was getting clearly upset and annoyed.

"May I introduce Krews daughter, Rayn."  
The girl that was standing beside the man did seem rather odd, and her blue eyebrows didn't help dispel that notion.  
Maybe the odd thing was that Krew actually HAD a daughter.

"That ball of pudge has a- a daughter?" Daxter exclaimed, twirling around on Jaks shoulder and faking a dead faint.  
That earnt him a huge glare from the pink suit man as he switched the electronic will on.

"It is in my dearest wishes..." a recorded message of Krewsvoice began, "that my racing legacy should be passed straight onto my daughter Rayn, 'ey. If it isn't, I'll haunt you all in the afterlife 'ey!"

Everyone present shuddered with the thought of being haunted by that fat blob.

"Also, 'ey, my hired muscle, Jak, his furry rodent friend who I never had the chance to skin, that girly Underground fellow... I've sold you all out. Didn't I say I had? (chuckle) You've all been set up, you're poisoned."

Torns mouth hung wide open.

"Unless you imbeciles all want to die from... the insides out, you must race for my team in the upcoming Kras City races. If you win, my daughter will give you the antidote. If you lose... you DIE, 'ey!"

Jakturned to the others, speechless.

"Well, what are we going to do? Hes obviously got us." he eventually said.  
Torns brow furrowed.

"Whatever happened to common sense? We have nothing to lose, even if we are racing for an obnoxious, obese, overweight, evil druglord."

None of them could tell if Torn was being sarcastic or not.

"Apart from Torn being terribly pessimistic..." Ashelin muttered, "he has a point. Though its disgusting, not to mention illegal that Krew poisoned us, if we want to live, we race for him."

Rayn clapped her hands with glee, but the friends looked glum.

Working for Krew?  
Again, or at all?

This was going to be one hell of a road trip.

0o0o0

After the horrible will had been read out,Torn took refuge in his room, lifting weights.

After Jak and Daxter had saved the world from utter destruction at the hands of Erol, and stolen Torns girlfriend in the process, the rebel had turned to late nights, coffee and paper work to keep some sort of focus on his life.

Yet now, after a young mechanic had entered his life and taught him how to live, she was his life. She was his comfort.

After the war had died out, Torn collapsed at a celebration party. He was then hospitallised for being under the normal weight for someone his age, and nearly died.  
Only then after seeing the extent of the damage that he had done to himself did he start to turn his life around.

So he turned to weights, food.  
... And racing.

There was a knock at the door, and Torn knew that, regardless, the door would open.

Petite arms slid around his waist as he carefully put the weights in their respectful places, returning the hug he had needed all day.

"Hmmm, more weights?" she teased, and as he gave her a quick kiss, the distinct flavour of mango sorbet tingled his tongue.

"Whos been eating Ashelins supply of mango sorbet again?" he grunted, making her blush a deep red and bury her face in his heaving chest.

As his heart rate settled, and the adrenaline vanished, a heavy fatigue, much like his weights, settled on his shoulders.  
Keira smiled, drawing him into their room, with no intention but for the worn out commander to rest.  
He tried to get undressed, but his limbs simply wouldn't co-operate, and Keira stripped off his racing gear, leaving his scarf and boxers on.  
Her hands slid gently across the knotted muscles in his shoulders and back, causing him to relax and loosen up.

"Just... sleep." she murmured, nibbling gently on his neck, and eventually she lulled him to a dreamless sleep.

0o0o0

The track was deserted. The stands were empty. Yet, inside the race garage was not.  
The only sound in the air, however, was giggling.

"Jak! Stop it- Jaaak!"  
Ashelin was leaning up against the bonnet of Jaks car, at present being ravished by Jaks eager tongue.  
His hands kept slipping from her hips, but the action kept Ashelingiggling.

"The others will be here any minute." she finally managed to gasp, her cheeks flushing.  
"Oh, fine..." Jak groaned, sliding off the hood and helping Ashelin up.  
Her arms slid around his neck, and she smiled lightly.

"Ready for the track, big boy?" she purred, and a devillish grin claimed Jaks lips.  
"I'm ready to win that antidote for us."  
"Good to hear! But... you'll have to beat me first."

Jak gave Ashelin a quick kiss, just as Torn came in, clearly distraught.  
"Guys! Keira, have you seen her?"

0o0o0

Keira awoke slightly later than she would have liked, and noticed that Torn was already up and gone.  
She groggily stripped off the bedcovers, and stumbled straight into the bathroom for a shower, loving the feeling of hot water pounding against her skin.

After a few minutes of relaxation, Keira switched off the water and jumped out of the shower, wrapping a towel swiftly around her to avoid the cold as much as possible.

She nearly dropped the towel when she stepped up to the mirror and saw a demon reflected in the glass.

"D... Dark?" she squeaked, too scared to speak properly.

"Ah... Keira. Nice to see you." he grinned, baring his fangs.

"W-what are you doing in my bathroom? How did you get in here?"

"Don't be so stupid. Your petty security locks are no match for dark eco."  
Keira whimpered as she felt a claw grasping her shoulder.

"Drop the towel. Drop the damned towel, and give that kiss you've always wanted to give me."

She unwillingly succumbed to his charms, and as the kiss drew on and became more than just that, the only word that left her her lips the whole time was.  
"...Torn..."

0o0o0

Dark dressed Keira with surprising gentleness, despite his claws.

"I... I... I hat-hate you!" Keira stammered, and Dark spun on her, glaring.

"WHAT?"

"W-why did you d-do this? Y-you know I'm mar-married!"

"You reject me now, and you'll wish you'd never been born." Dark hissed, his wet tongue gleaming spookily in the dark.

"Fine. Let there be consequences."

Dark screeched loudly, slashing at her arm with his claws and taking off.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she rested her chin on her knees, yearning for Torn now more than ever.

* * *

These were the requirements: 

Fic Challenge #4:

Fic Type:  
Chaptered, 2 or 3 chapters Genre: Tragedy, a secondary genre of humor can be added if you really want to.  
Pairings:  
JakAshelin, TornKeira, DaxterTess  
Characters are limited to:  
Dark Jak, Light Jak, Jak, Daxter, Keira, Torn, Ashelin, Tess, Sig, Krew, Rayn, Samos, and you can add two more characters of your choice.  
The following sentences must be used:  
No, I won't go without her!  
I'm sorry, Jak!  
What ever happened to common sense?  
The following words must be included somewhere:  
Flavor, yearn, glean, wet, spooky, ravishing, disgusting, pessimistic.


	2. It'll be our little secret, princess

Ready, set.  
A fic challenge, chapter 2  
By shadows/of/flame 

Last chapter! Yeah, a short story I know XP

* * *

She felt violated. Deceived. Idiotic most of all. 

But was it her fault that Jak let a lock-melting monster loose?

What could she do now? Torn was waiting, but she had do calm down first.

She gulped in huge mouthfuls of fresh air, trying hard not to panic. She had no bruises, no marks to prove what had been done to her, and truth be told, she didn't WANT to tell anyone.

After she had married Torn, for a little while, she had believed that everything would be OK. That no one could ever hurt her again like Jak had.

But as it turned out, she was wrong, and he still had ways of hurting her.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, trying to calm down instantly failing. She was too scared, too broken inside to bother, and she fumbled with her keys, standing up and stumbling out into the bright world of sunlight.

Keira stood still for a few moments, savouring the feeling of sunlight bouncing on her skin, and for the first time in a few hours, she felt content.  
And safe.

The tear trails on her cheeks slowly dried, and her puffy, red eyes almost returned to normal.  
She then realised she had to focus on getting to the stadium before the races started, and slowly made her way to her car, unlocking the door and sliding in.

Keira hoped, with all her might, that she'd make it.

0o0o0

Torn wondered if something had happened to Keira. Was she safe? Was she hurt?  
Jak and Ashelin could only watch as he paced restlessly backwards and forwards - he was really worried about her, and for good reason.

When Jak and Ashelin kissed in the desert, the news spread fast.  
Keira and Torn were left high and dry, their friends all more focused on the new "royal" couple than on the welfare of two of their best friends.

Keira had drunk herself into a stupour, no longer caring what the world thought of her, and the tale, almost more well known than the kiss, was how the ex-commander of the Krimzon Guard and the Freedom Guard had saved her.

The pair were certain that Torn was about to go out and get her, when a sleek purple car pulled up, and Keira jumped out, a small grin on her face.

"Hey guys! I'm here!" she said rather cheerfully, slipping on her facade.  
"Keira!" the three exclaimed, and Keira just nodded slowly, smiling.

"Did I miss the race? Am I on time?" she said rather fearfully, looking around, and wondering if anyone was mad with her.

Torn hesitated slightly before enveloping her in his arms, burying his face in her hair.  
Little did they know a dark shadow was lying in wait outside, watching, waiting...

"We wouldn't have started without you." Torn murmured into her hair, and Keira sighed thankfully.

"Should I be scared that you're hugging me?" Keira teased, and Torns face darkened, letting go of her immediately.  
She giggled at his serious, poker-like face, and looked to Jak and Ashelin.

"Ready to race?" Jak asked, his hands leaving Ashelins waist to secure the goggles clasped around his neck.

"Yeah, just gimme a minute or two to prepare." Keira replied, fastening her goggles around her eyes, and popped the hood of her vehicle to see if everything was in working order.

"Looks like I'm fine. You guys?" she asked, putting the hood down again and sitting on it, a shiver running down her spine as Torns lips caressed the nape of her neck.

"ARE YOU READY TO GET RACING YET! COME ON!"  
"Rayn." the blond hero sighed, shooing Ashelin off to her own car.

A brunette and khaki bundle zoomed into the room, shooting glares at the four racers.  
"Hurry up you four! Goodness knows that you're going to hold us all up! Oh, wait. Too late for THAT. GET GOING!" she shrieked.

Torn sighed, giving his wife one last kiss before jumping into his zoomer.  
"Lets see if you're as good on the track as you are in bed." Torn murmured huskily over the channels, and he could see Keira blushing.  
"Same goes for you." she replied cheekily before the racers were released, and they drove slowly up into a starting position.

"Ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the sixteenth annual Kras City championships! I am your host, GT Blitz, and my assistant this year (as all the others have been run over by drunk drivers) is Pecker!"

Pecker ruffled his feathers at the mere thought of being run over - it was needless to say he was going to take more care of himself than the Blitzes other sidekicks.

Jaks eyes narrowed as curvy girls started dancing sexily around the cockpit - he could see one with a "Team Jak" jacket on, and although she was relatively pretty, he would have rathered Daxter take him over if needed at a pitstop.

"Each person has a pitstopper, ready to change whatever may be needed in pitstop. They have "Team BlahBlah" stitched on the back, so it shouldn't be hard to find your mechanic. The winner receives this special little vial courtesy of Rayn, and a couple of thousand Precursor orbs. Now, as long as everyone has food, are you ready to see some action?"

The crowd cheered, banners and ballons flying high in the air, and "We love you Jak! Go for the gold!" signs were easily visible among the section of the stadium dedicated to Jaks supporters.

"The course will see these 9 racers - Jak, Torn, Sig, Kleiver, Jinx, Keira, Ashelin, Razor, and that orange haired guy, racing against each other in full car combat whilst trying to get to the finish line first - but getting there in a coffin first doesn't count folks! Oh, and er, Leaper Limited will take no responsibility for deaths, injuries or other mutations while racing. All complaints taken to the complaints desk, will be ignored and nothing will be done about it. Don't expect us to cover hospital fees."

A cackle came from the lips of the shadow that had been following Keira ever since he had left her the first time - no reimbursment for deaths? Looked like Torn was going to suffer just a little then...

He snuck into a sideroom, quickly grabbing what he needed, and snuck out, past GT Blitz and the revving racers, down towards the end of the track.

"I'll have the last laugh this time, oh don't worry!"

0o0o0

"Ready, set..."

Jak fiddled nervously with the steering wheel, a burning feeling telling him something in his gut.  
But what?

Something bad was going to happen, but again, he had no idea what, and how to prevent it. He had asked Dark to take care of any people trying to sabotage the Haven racers - speaking of which, where was Dark? And why had Keira looked so happy, yet so upset when she came into the garage?

"Light... I think something bads going to happen."

_'You're not the only one that thinks that, I can assure you.'_ the Light eco entity replied. _'If Dark does his job properly, there should be no problems.'_

"What was up with Keira? The smile on her face was fake, I wonder if anyone else could tell."

_'Maybe she can tell us after we win the poison antidote.'_

Jak nodded, and just after Light finished speaking, "GO!" was heard over the loudspeakers, and he slammed his foot down, putting the pedal to the medal.

He zoomed in front, and Light promised to keep an eye out for any fishy behavior.

0o0o0

Torn had the same feeling in his gut. And he didn't like it.  
He wanted to keep in constant contact with Keira over the headsets, but he didn't want to baby her. So maybe every 10 minutes or so would be ok.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jak take too sharp a turn, and took the opportunity to take the lead. The crowd roared - whether with anger or pleasure - and Torn blocked his ears to the sound of their voices.

He could see three cars behind him - purple, orange, and green.

_'Purple is Keira. Orange is Ashelin... then... who has a green car?'_

Jak had red. He had blue. Keira had purple. Sig had silver. Kleiver had brown. Ashelin had orange. Jinx had white. Razor had some stripey number, and the orange haired guys was gold. So who--?

The shadow sneered as he drew closer to Keiras car, fiddling around for the bag he had taken out of the storeroom.

Torn immediately turned on the radio headset to all his companions channels.

"Who has a green car?" he asked.

"Green...?" Jak replied.

"Yup."

"... oh shit, it may be a sabotager. Dark should be on the lookout for those, where the hell is he?"

Torns brow furrowed. He stayed int he lead, but he was constantly checking back on the green car.

"Keira - report!"

Keira was in a panic as the green car kept brushing up against hers.  
"I- it keeps sabotaging my car! I can't see in the windows, but--"

Dark chuckled as he pulled out the bazooka.

"I win Keira. I win!"

Keira screamed, and Torn crossed the finish line just as he heard the explosion.

He fumbled for his seatbelt, ripping it off and getting out of the car in a blind panic.

Ribbons were placed around his neck, and he was given the orbs and the antidote, but he thrust them in Jaks hands before sprinting back around the corner to where he had heard the explosion.

"KEIRA!" he screamed, seeing the ruins of her car strewn around the track.  
"KEIRA!"

He ignored Jak and Ashelin running after him, their footsteps echoing around the stadium. The crowd was dead silent, the cheering had ceased, and Rayn, Pecker and GT Blitz wore horrified expressions on their faces.

He didn't hear Jak and Ashelin screaming for him to stop, he just ripped off his helmet and started searching through the debry with both hands, refusing to believe.

Refusing to believe.  
...that she was dead.

...that she was really gone.

After a while, he found her, lying with a halo of blood around her. An emerald eye slowly opened, and she half smiled.  
"...you...won." she whispered, and Torn took her gently in his arms, uncharacteristic tears running down his cheeks.

"Yeah... we did it Ker... We won..." he whispered, brushing a blood-stained lock of hair from her face.  
She smiled weakly, wrapping her arms around his neck, and wincing in pain.  
Her breathing was ragged and uneven, even Torn could see that.

"I loved... the way you made me feel... just knowing that I could come home to see your face... made living all the more worthwhile."

"Come on! We can heal you... you'll be fine!" the ex-KG said pathetically, but with her horrendous wounds, and probably internal bleeding, he knew she wouldn't live much longer.

She closed her eyes, whispering to him once more.

"I love you Torn. Don't forget it."

Jak and Ashelin felt their hearts break as sobs filled the stadium, some of the crowd also crying silently.

"...I love you too."

And Dark snickered as he was lead away by the guards.  
He knew that he had done his job, and hurt all those who knew Keira.

"It'll be our little secret, _princess_." he hissed, licking his lips.

_"Our little secret."_

* * *

Sucker for tragedy, I am. This made me so sad... tell me what ya think! 


End file.
